The Tell
by AdairOfBrentley
Summary: 'Great Starclan, I'm dying,' Ravenpaw thought. He yearned for Barley to stay with him and nurse him back to health. To comfort him and... This will get better later on, it's my first fanfiction ;


**CHAPTER ONE**

Ravenpaw curled into a ball, basking in the bright, warm sun that swept over the clouds. He lay far enough from the barn house to see a glimpse of the hills of the Highstones over the trees that sheltered the thunderpath, yet close enough so he could hear Barley wake up from what felt like a moon-long slumber.  
"Hey sleepy kit," Ravenpaw teased, "How was your coma?"  
"Just because I don't wake up at dawn doesn't mean I'm super lazy." Barley meowed while in the middle of a stretch.  
"I guess I'm still used to being a warrior-in-training." Ravenpaw said. His eyes clouded with awful memories; a deputy's terrified scream, a clan's innocent trust, a killers victory. Barley seemed to notice. Even though they had only known eachother for two moons, Barley seemed to know and even relate to what the young cat was feeling.  
His gaze softened as he looked in the black tom's eyes, and he wore a smile on his face. "I know," he said, "Let's go hunting."  
"No thanks, I'm not hungry." Replied Ravenpaw. As he looked up at the older tom, he added guiltily, "But I could watch you."  
Barley led him behind the barn. A large shadow made the setting dark and cool, and mice were practically jumping at Ravenpaw's feet. He caught one with a bite to the neck and it let of a loud screach that scared off nearly all the prey. That was when he realized he was alone. There was no cat in sight.  
"Barley?" Ravenpaw yelled. No reply. "Barley!" He was scared that his friend had run away or had been taken by rouges. He sniffed the air. Just mice.  
There was a rustle in the nearby bushes. He sniffed in that direction but the mouse was overpowering. He unsheathed his claws and looked in all directions.  
Suddenly, something latched onto his back. It was a cat, definatly a tom, but he couldn't make out the scent. He flipped the cat over and tackled him down. Then he realized who it was.  
"Barley!" He gasped, "I was so worried, I -" But the black and white tom grinned and flipped him over, his claws sheathed. Ravenpaw realized he was play-fighting, which he had only done as a kit in the Thunderclan nursery.  
Ravenpaw stood up and prounced on Barley's back making them roll down a grassy hill. At the bottom, Ravenpaw nipped at Barley's ear and the black and white tom purred.  
They rolled around and spun and nipped and bit until they realized they had company. About five rats were running towards them, ugly as hell. Ravenpaw and Barley ran as fast as they could, and Ravenpaw remembered the first night he and Barley met. Barley had saved him and the others from rats. He needed to repay his good deeds.  
Ravenpaw turned back and hissed at the nasty rats, who clamberred unto him. He shook them off and pinned them down but the numbers were growing. He got many deep bites and scratches and he howled in pain. He rememberred Bluestar lost a life from these rodents, they were a major threat and their wounds were deadly. He tried to fight them off, he-

**Chapter Two**

Ravenpaw's eyes met Barley's when he awoke. It was a bright day of greenleaf and the air was full of birdsong.  
"Hi sleepy kit," Barley meowed kindly, "How are your wounds?"  
"Did you?" Ravenpaw began but Barley shut him up.  
"Here, eat this, it helps with rat bites. I'm no medicine cat but I do know how to treat rat bites and infections, I've lived here long enough."  
Ravenpaw graciously ate the root mixture. It tasted awful, but he trusted Barley with his life.  
"I'm going to get you some food. You need your strength." Barley bent down and licked Ravenpaw on the forehead then padded away.  
The lick felt better than it should have. Maybe it was the fever that made Ravenpaw burn, the place Barley touched him felt incredibly refreshing. His heart was pounding faster and heavier the more he thought about it, he was losing breath and thought there was a clog in his throught.  
'Great Starclan, I'm dying,' Ravenpaw thought. He yearned for Barley to stay with him and nurse him back to health. To comfort him and...  
Ravenpaw's fur prickled, making is tail as fluffy and massive as a squirrel's. His heart raced fast and so did his breathing. His face was burning and he felt the need to run after Barley, to tell him something. What, he didn't know.  
Barley entered with a very plump mouse clasped in his jaws. "Here we are. Finest catch of the moon, but only because you're sick." He lay the kill at Ravenpaw's feet.  
Ravenpaw stared at the prey, making sure not to loo at Barley, and didn't realize how hungry he was until this point.

This is my first fanfiction. Should I continue? Do you like it so far? :)


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